With Chroma, which makes its Australian debut on Tuesday, the Royal Ballet’s resident superstar Wayne McGregor is giving classical ballet a rock’n’roll edge. Performed by the Australian Ballet, choreographed by McGregor and set to the music of the White Stripes, it combines sizzling guitar riffs with dazzling dance moves.

First performed at London’s Covent Garden in 2006, Chroma’s first incarnation gathered accolades including a Laurence Olivier award and Critics’ Circle National Dance award. Its modern mash-up style of dance is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. Set to the music of Radiohead, Radio and Juliet electrified the Perth festival this summer, whilst Christopher Bruce’s highly acclaimed “rock ballet” Rooster, set to the music of the Rolling Stones, enthralled US audiences as the Washington Ballet celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles hitting American shores.

Laura Morera and Eric Underwood from the Royal Ballet dance to The Hardest Button to Button by the White Stripes.

Chroma juxtaposes White Stripes songs including Blue Orchid and The Hardest Button to Button with Mozart and Tchaikovsky compositions. It is danced on a minimalist set by architect John Pawson, which McGregor describes as “these amazing plain canvases in which anything can happen”. As for the dancers, McGregor says “you see the flesh move, you see the torsions in the bones. They are bodies pushed to the extreme in many ways, but also you get the more delicate intricacies. They’re so exposed; they’re very vulnerable in that environment.”

Speaking at the press preview on Monday, artistic director of the Australian Ballet David McAllister said that audiences with have “the rare opportunity to see the work of three of the world’s most exciting choreographers of the day” and “promises something for all lovers of the arts”.

Having worked on many Hollywood movies including a stint as the movement director for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and taught Thom Yorke to dance for the video of Radiohead’s Lotus Flower, McGregor has also worked with anthropologists and scientists. With Chroma, his experimental approach has created a combustible cocktail of classical and contemporary dance.